Photo answers review
Photo answers rating 
The battle of the pixels is a long-running war that still shows no signs of letting up. In fact, the APS-C sensor has been continuously developed to take more pixels and ultimately allow the user to shoot larger images. In the case of the new APS-C sensor inside the 7D, it’s been designed to cope with 18 million of them and, let’s be honest, this is a big ask.
It might deliver more resolution than any other consumer DSLR on the market but there’s a potential downside in terms of image quality, especially at higher ISO settings. This is because the pixels have to be smaller to fit onto the chip and there is less chance for them to ‘breathe’ because there’s less space between them. In theory this can cause information to ‘spill’ from one diode to another. But would Canon put an £1800 body on the market if it weren’t sure this had been addressed?
Features & handlingCanon went right back to the drawing board with this digital SLR, so it’s a whole new beast delivering speed, versatility and detail. It’s refreshing to see a new design in Canon’s consumer DSLR line-up, as the likes of the 10D through to the 50D have changed very little. This camera is not in the same line as those hugely popular models, as it sits on a whole new level for a Canon DSLR, somewhere between the 50D and the 5D Mark II. Stalwart Canon users shouldn’t panic though, as the Canon style is still very evident. The large control wheel still sits on the rear and the functions are where you will expect to find them.
This DSLR isn’t just about the high-resolution sensor – it has a whole host of great features that are truly beneficial. The frame rate at 8fps is rapid to say the least, and is perfect for action photography. Add to that an improved AF system with 19-point cross-type sensors, which can be set up individually or as groups of active points, and you have an impressive camera. It doesn’t stop there, as you get 100% viewfinder coverage and a new 63-zone dual layer metering that provides more consistent and accurate metering. There’s also the high quality 3in LCD screen, which offers 920-dot resolution making it perfect for indoor and outdoor use. This can be used for Live View framing and also for HD video capture. An addition to this model, and a first for Canon, is the inclusion of an integrated flash transmitter for remote firing of Speedlites. This has been commonplace on many Nikon and Olympus DSLRs, but only now appears on a Canon model. Sensitivity has been expanded to ISO 12,800 for lowlight operation and the magnesium alloy body is also weather-sealed.
The completely new design has improved the feel of this camera over that of the 5D Mark II and 50D. It’s a lot more compact and the buttons feel easier to use. The menus are very simple to follow, although some things do take a bit of initial setting up to get the camera how you like it. We had to grab the manual on more than one occasion, for simple things like altering the selected focus points. This may sound simple, but certain custom functions needed to be set in order to have full control. With any new camera it can take time to get used to what is new, and to be fair to Canon it didn’t take very long for us to adjust to the new tweaks.
Performance and image qualityFor many people the big question when it comes to performance is about that pixel-packed sensor’s ability to prevent noisy images. To give the camera a full test, we shot a mix of studio and outdoor images to see how the sensor fared. For the studio work, the high-resolution sensor captured a stunning level of detail that would be expected from so many pixels. Detail in our model’s eye was really impressive and even the eyelashes stood out clearly. Skin tone was very accurate and the camera controlled the tonal range with ease. Taking the camera outdoors with the same model proved that the all-new 63-zone Canon metering was more than up for the job, as in strong backlighting with a reflector used to fill in any shadows we found, we managed to capture some great portraits.
For many users, this camera will be all about action photography, with its fast frame rate and selectable AF patterns. To test this element, we took the 7D along to an airshow to see how the focus coped with fast-moving subjects, and also to check the performance on a challenging day for available light where there was a mix of bright sun, and then no sun at all.
In servo focus, the camera can track relatively well, but it’s not as fast as the likes of the Nikon D700. We found the hit-rate of sharp versus unsharp images to be more on the unsharp side. However, when the camera did get the correct predictive focus, it was excellent. Exposure in a mix of sunlight and shadow adjusted well, and colours were accurately reproduced in the relatively light-lacking conditions and murky grey skies. It was here at ISO 100 where there was some noise when viewed at 100%. But it wasn’t a major level of noise and a series of test prints showed there was no discernible difference between the 7D and another current model, despite those extra pixels.
Final verdictThe camera has a mouth-watering specification, especially if you like things fast and detailed. For the picky user, the initial noise levels seen at 100% with an ISO 100 image taken on a grey day were enough to raise an eyebrow. But that was all, and the final print results certainly quashed any initial concerns we had. Ultimately, this is a really good camera delivering a whopping file size – the sort of rapid firing that keen sports or wildlife photographers will love – and a superb mix of other features too. It handles well and image quality is right up there with rival models, at least until you hit the higher end of ISO. Has Canon now squeezed everything it can get from an APS-C sensor? Well, only time will tell on that question.
Key specificationStreet price £1799 (body only)
Effective resolution 18MP
Sensor type 22.3x14.9mm CMOS
Crop factor 1.6x
Lens mount EF
Exposure modes Auto, P/A/S/M, HD Movie
Metering modes 63-zone dual layer
ISO range 100-6400 (100-12,800 expanded)
Shooting speed 8fps (JPEG and RAW)
Card type CF
LCD monitor size 3in 920k dot
Aspect ratio 3:2
Live View Yes
Autofocus 19-point
Integrated cleaning Yes
Built-in stabilisation No
Weight/size (wxhxd) 820g/148.2x110.7x73.5mm